Springfield man gets lengthy prison sentence for weeklong crime spree

A Springfield man who captivated the city's attention with a weeklong crime spree in November 2015 was sentenced Monday to 22 years in prison.

Justin Russell, 30, was given the prison time after a hearing in front of Judge David Jones.

Russell pleaded guilty in January to burglary, tampering with a motor vehicle and five counts of first-degree robbery.

Justin Russell(Photo: Greene County Jail)

Police say that during his 2015 crime spree, Russell often targeted women who were alone at night outside commercial shopping centers.

Before authorities eventually tracked down Russell and arrested him at a northwest Springfield apartment complex, police say he committed the following crimes between Nov. 13 and Nov. 21, 2015:

• Carjacking a woman at Wilder Elementary School.
• Robbing a woman at gunpoint the following Sunday outside of Battlefield Mall after he allegedly hit her vehicle with the SUV he stole.
• Stealing a Ford Mustang from an employee working at the Domino’s Pizza at 2565 E. Sunshine St.
• Robbing a woman at gunpoint outside the Walmart on Kearney Street.
• Again using a gun to rob a woman outside Sam's Club on East Sunshine Street.
• Then robbing another woman at gunpoint outside the Walmart on South Campbell Avenue.